Colombia
Tolima
Zamaira Giraldo
El Pedregal
Caturra, Colombia
Washed
September–November
Caramel, Roasted Hazelnut, Citrus
1700 meters
N/A
70 kg w/ GrainPro
SOLD OUT
Zamaira Giraldo’s Finca El Pedregal can be found 1700 meters above sea level in the hills of Planadas municipality in the Tolima department of Colombia, 40 km from the municipality’s capital. Zamaira is part of a coffee producing family, with her husband Yeferson Olaya operating the nearby Finca El Tesoro, and her father-in-law Nolberto Olaya operating Finca La Cinta. Nolberto is recognized in the area for his commitment to protecting the environment through his farming practices, and this commitment is carried on by the whole family, including Zamaira and her farm.
Zamaira’s family stresses the importance of using onsite materials and compostables from processed food to create blends of organic materials that will act as a fertilizer, quality booster, and immunity shield for the plants. They produce and mix calcium rich ashes, mulch, and earthworms, as well as compost from coffee pulp and cane sugar molasses to create these agricultural inputs. Though the process requires lots of additional work and knowledge, this step is particularly important for them because it helps them to continue getting quality crops and good yields from all of the coffee plants.
Coffee cherries from El Pedregal are taken for processing at the nearby Finca La Cinta, which is outfitted with processing equipment and infrastructure to dry coffee, along with a quality control lab which contains a one-barrel sample roaster, a mobile stove, and cupping gear. Zamaira’s husband Yeferson is a CQI Q Grader who assists his father Nolberto with onsite quality control and feedback on post-harvest processes for all coffees processed at La Cinta.
This lot of Caturra underwent Washed processing at El Pedregal. Cherries are sorted in floating tanks to select only dense ripe fruit. Whole cherries are fermented in plastic tanks for 12 hours of aerobic fermentation. The fruit is then pulped and placed back into the tanks where they are sealed for 60 hours of anaerobic fermentation. The fermented coffee is then washed and moved to the greenhouse drying area at La Cinta where it is dried for 20–25 days.
The Colombian Department of Tolima is nested in the heart of Andean region in the center-west of the country. The department ranks first in Colombia in the production of rice and sesame. Farmers here also grow coffee, corn, bananas, sugarcane, and beans. Livestock, particularly cattle and pigs, is quite common in the northwest and center-east valleys along the Magdalena River and its basins. 32 of Tolima’s 47 municipalities are dedicated to coffee production.
Tolima’s capital city of Ibagué, also known as “Musical capital of Colombia and America” is surrounded by the mountains and enriched with water resources stretching along the Magdalena River Valley to the east of the Department. Tolima is traversed by highways and railroads, linking Ibagué with Bogotá, Armenia (Quindio), and Neiva (Huila).
The geographical location, topographic diversity, and range of altitudes make Tolima one of the most favorable and unique departments for coffee production, allowing for harvesting throughout the year. Coffee farms are scattered on the mountain ranges of Santa Marta, La Macarena, and the western slopes of the eastern Cordilleras. Farms here are predominantly smallholder owned, and the farmers have made concerted efforts in the last ten years to produce specialty coffee that reveals the full character of the region’s terroir. The organic approach to coffee cultivation in Tolima is well-known and highly demanded around the world. Certifications like Fairtrade, Organic, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, and Bird Friendly can be found throughout the region. Selective manual harvesting, attentive processing, and careful post-harvest sorting all contribute to the growing recognition of Tolima as a coffee producing region.
Tolima’s coffee sector has attracted numerous financial and educational resources over the past several years. State and private owned organizations have invested with social and economic programs throughout the region, strengthening the potential for sustainable coffee production and improving the livelihoods of thousands of families.
